Tonight I saw the wonderful movie Passengers starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. I really, really enjoyed it. I never knew where the movie was going and there was no foul language (always important to me).
Passengers tells the story of 5,000 space travelers on the Starship Avalon. Each is in a state of hibernation as their journey to colonize another planet will take well over 100 years. However, 90 years before the ship’s arrival, Jim Preston, played by Platt, unexpectedly awakes.
As I reveal the leadership lessons below, be aware ***MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD***.
The following are 15 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Passengers The Movie:
- Things Outside Your Control Can Radically Affect Your Life At A Moment’s Notice – The Starship Avalon’s journey was going as planned until it encountered an asteroid belt severely damaging the ship.
- Smart Leaders Enjoy The Moment – Aurora Lane, played by Lawrence, said, “You can get hung up on where you’re at that you can’t enjoy where you are.”
- People Without Purpose Live Wasted Lives – For over one year Jim was alone on the ship. To be frank, he let himself go. His appearance deteriorated and everything around him became severely unkept. A life without purpose also deteriorates and becomes unkept.
- Great Leaders Live Extraordinary Lives – Aurora said, “If you live an ordinary life all you will have is ordinary stories.”
- Bad Things Happen To Everyone Sooner Or Later – Knowing he would die before everyone else awoke, Jim said, “The universe is not evil but it has a nasty sense of humor.”
- People Desperately Need Community And Will Do Anything To Get It – Noticing Aurora asleep in her pod and listening to her taped profile, Jim decided to awake her from her pod. He desperately needed relationship with someone.
- Selfish Leaders Place Their Needs Over The Needs Of Others – By awaking her, Jim placed his need for community above her life. She too would die before the others awoke.
- Great Leaders Are Problem Solvers – As a mechanic, Jim enjoyed fixing things. He lamented, “On Earth when something breaks you don’t fix it, you replace it.” Too often, leaders rush to replacement rather than restoration and development.
- Every Number Has A Name. Every Name Has A Story. And Every Story Matters To God – Looking at the 4,998 people hibernating in their pods, Jim told Aurora, “I see 5,000 people changing their lives for 5,000 different reasons.”
- People With Purpose Are Happy And Envied By Others – Aurora told the android Arthur, “I envy you Arthur. You have a purpose. You’re always happy.”
- Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out – Arthur told Aurora that her awaking from hibernation was not an accident but she was awaken on purpose by Jim. This resulted in something the mechanic could not fix.
- Great Leaders Are Reconcilers And Bridge Builders – Tech crew member, Gus Mancuso played by the excellent Laurence Fishburne, unexpectedly awoke as well. He told a bitterly angry Aurora about Jim, “The drowning man will always will always try to take someone down with him.”
- Every Hero Needs A Guide – In every great movie, the hero has a guide. Luke Skywalker had Yoda. Roy Scheider in Jaws had Richard Dreyfuss. Rocky had Mickey. And in this movie Jim had Mancuso. If you want your leadership to go to a higher level, make sure you have a great guide in your life.
- Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention – Are you being asked to do more as a leader for the organization you are a part of? Jim had to show tremendous resourcefulness to repair the dying Avalon. He took his skills as a mechanic to a much higher level because the lives of those onboard depended on it.
- Quality Time Is Not Necessarily Better Than Quantity Of Time. You Need Both. – Fishburne was on screen less than ten minutes. Andy Garcia was on screen less than 10 seconds. I wonder how much both got paid? I also wonder how much better they would have made the movie with more screen time.
In closing, Passengers is extremely enjoyable. If you have already seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, check this movie out. You will be glad you did.
Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences. Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!